Savage FV 12 204 Ruger

[jpx2rk]

Anybody have a set of go/no go gauges I can borrow or use.  I live in between Knoxville and Chattanooga, or know of a smith that has a set in the area that I can make a visit to??

[xtriggerman]

Why do you feel you need to check the head space on what is a relatively new rifle? Are you running into some issues?

[R_Bert]

Are you shooting reloads?  I had to go to a small base die.

[jpx2rk]

First trip to the range with the new gun, all factory ammo, no reloads and was getting some raised primers, and that was the suggestion to me from a forum dedicated to this caliber.  Fiocchi 40 & 32 gr vmax ammo, the 40 gr had numerous raised primers and the 32 gr had some as well but not near the extent of the 40gr load.

This the 40 gr, the round in the center is an unfired round

 

Here are the 32gr rounds, the round on top so to speak is unfired

Suggestions welcome.  

[R_Bert]

Have you tried any Hornady? 

On a new gun, I think that a call to Savage repair technician might be in order, just to get calibrated. Send a short email w/ these photos.

Bert

[xtriggerman]

My first thought is you have a batch of short formed brass from Fiocchi. Its easy enough for you to check your head space with those rounds if you have a dial caliper. Take the firing pin out of your bolt and the ejector out of the bolt face. Using an unfired round, put a piece of masking tape on the cartridge head and trim the tape cleanly around the rim with a razor. Place the round in the chamber by hand and close the striped bolt on it. Normally you wont find resistance in the bolt handle "locking up" with a single piece of tape. Put a second piece of tap on the cartridge as you did the first and try it in the gun. with 2 pieces of tape you should start to feel a slight resistance in the bolt handle locking up. If not add another piece of tape. Once you get to resistance, peel the tape stack off all together and mic the tape. This is a rough idea of your head space with those particular cartridges. If your getting .007 or more, you are in too much head space by factory standards. I like to see a strong crush on 2 pieces of tape so much so that the sticky side shows the print of the head stamp. Normally that would put the chamber in the 3-4 thousandths range which is perfect. Before you try this I would erg you to get at least 2 other brands of rounds to test like this along with the Fiocchi. I have seen cartridges vary by .003 between brands.  This will tell you if its the rounds or the gun's head space at fault.  There will be gunsmiths out there that will get their shorts all twisted up reading this "gauge less" procedure. To them I say, get a life. Space is space no matter how you measure it!

[jpx2rk]

Thanks for the suggestions, will look for some different brands of ammo and try that.  I was/am wanting to check the head space myself or by a GS rather than just having to send the rifle back to Savage without having a decent idea of what was wrong with it in the first place.  Be a good learning experience for me anyways.  

 

Any special tools needed to strip the bolt down like you suggested?

[xtriggerman]

Im not familiar with these new off shoots of the 110. I read that there is a screw that needs to be loosened to remove the striker assembly. And I imagine the plunger type ejector will only need a fine punch to tap out the cross pin that holds it. Reassembly of the ejector is tricky since you need to compress it in place, slide in a thinner "slave" pin and then drive the slave pin out with the original pin....swiftly. Hope that helps.

[jpx2rk]

Thanks for the info. Guess I will warm up my "google fu" and see what I can find.  Thanks again.